PNP monitoring rice hoarders

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is monitoring rice hoarders amid the increase in the price of rice as law enforcers continue to coordinate operations with other government agencies.

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde told a press briefing yesterday at Camp Crame, Quezon City that police units are coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture (DA) and National Food Authority (NFA) to monitor rice hoarders based on a directive from the Office of the President.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) had earlier vowed to intensify the campaign against hoarders amid increases in the prices of rice and other basic commodities.

DILG Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya said the administration is waging a battle against inflation and will help local executives deal with the problem by directing police forces nationwide to go after unscrupulous traders who are causing higher prices of basic goods.

“We will intensify the campaign against hoarders and market manipulators in the same vein that we are pursuing our commitment to the President’s reform agenda,” said Malaya.?The DILG also directed local officials to activate their price monitoring councils and to monitor compliance with Standard Retail Prices by businesses in their jurisdictions.

Albayalde vowed to support concerned government agencies in waging war against unscrupulous rice traders.

He ordered the Directorate for Operations to coordinate with the DA and NFA to find measures to strengthen law enforcement against rice smuggling, hoarding, pilferage, profiteering and illegal trade practices involving rice and basic commodities.

Albayalde said the PNP, DA and NFA could review all existing operational plans, directives and issuances, including existing Memoranda of Agreement, as part of the effort to address illegal activity affecting the country’s food security.

“We will aggressively support concerned government agencies in waging war against unscrupulous traders who wilfully manipulate market forces for their own selfish gain that result in higher prices of basic and essential commodities particularly rice and food products,” said Albayalde.

Port inspection

The government is set to conduct mandatory inspection at the ports of origin for all rice imports to ensure that only quality stocks will enter the country.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the interagency National Food Authority Council (NFAC) has approved a resolution that would allow the DA and NFA to conduct mandatory inspections for all rice imports, both government and private-led.

“This would be effective on the next round of imports. We will be issuing SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) permits but we will also have the port of origin inspection,” Piñol told reporters on the sidelines of the ASEAN Agriculture Summit on Monday. “If they don’t pass, then we would have to decline and disapprove their supply.”

Piñol’s decision came after the recent incident of weevil-infested imported rice that entered the country last month.

The NFA has also just been returned under the supervision of the agriculture chief.

The plan would involve sending DA and NFA personnel to ports of origin and Piñol said the government is willing to incur additional costs.

Piñol also reported that farm gate price in Cotabato is now at P17 per kilogram from a high of P25 per kilo and this trend would likely happen in other parts of the country as well.

“This is because imports have entered the country plus the harvest season. This is always the case, once harvest and imports go together, prices would start dropping,” Piñol said.

Two weeks ago, the average price of palay was still at P23.04 per kilo from the P19.62 per kilo level last year. – With Louise Maureen Simeon